Developing the leader within; 7 characteristics of an effective leader
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Leadership starts with the self. Be your own leader.
We all want to be the best we can, to feel effective, to make a difference in our own lives and that of others. This is why we read self-help books, enrol in leadership courses, and invest in coaching. We want to improve!
What we often forget though, is first, we need to KNOW ourselves, and LEAD ourselves.
Developing the leader within, and speaking to ourselves like a leader, is the first step to achieving our desires to be effective and make a difference. After all, we cannot lead others until we can lead ourselves.
Before we go any further, there are two misconceptions about leadership we need to address;
Misconception #1 - Leaders are born, not made
Nope. Most people are NOT born leaders. However, we can all learn to be leaders. We can choose to embrace leadership opportunities, and develop ourselves into an effective leader. Granted, some people have the ability to lead as a core strength. But this is not a pre-requisite to be an effective leader.
Misconception #2 - Leadership is about a title
Leadership has nothing to do with the title of your role, or how much power you do or don’t have. Leadership is everything to do with behaviour and attitude. There can be people who are leaders yet have no title, nor team. Title, power, prestige; this year we’ve seen people with none of these step up and show they are true leaders.
Real leadership starts with the self. Before we can lead others, we must know ourselves and develop our leader within.
This year has provided a myriad of opportunities for us to witness and observe leadership. Based on this, perhaps you have a good idea already about what makes a leader. But when we consider how we can embrace our inner leader, it helps to have a place to start.
Therefore, today I am sharing the seven characteristics of an effective leader, as I see them.
Seven characteristics of an effective leader
1. Development and personal growth focus
Development and personal growth is a lifetime commitment. This characteristic encompasses professional and personal development, as well as improving your self-awareness and expanding your view of yourself.
Leaders know their strengths, attitudes, and values. Great leaders are also equipped with a growth mindset; they are eager to learn and continually do so. Leaders learn about themselves, their company, industry and their people. In essence, great leaders improve their mind in order to improve the quality of the decisions they make as a leader.
Therefore, in order to be an effective leader, you must lean into growth opportunities and embrace developing yourself. Being a leader means doing things that help you grow every day, not just the things you have to do.
Get started; As we all know, the world is changing rapidly. To ensure your success, embrace your development, every day. Identifying your values, strengths, and skills is a great place to start. Learning more about yourself, improving your mind, and understanding how you operate will, in turn, help you relate to others and improve your leadership ability. Additionally, this knowledge will improve all aspects of your life, not just your career/professional life, and improve the lives of others around you too.
2. Authentic and values-driven
Being authentic and values-driven is crucial as a leader, especially as leaders are often role models. People follow what leaders DO, not what they say which is why the best leaders have consistency in what they say AND what they do. This is the epitome of integrity. Great leaders never sacrifice integrity for fast rewards.
When you are connected to your true belief systems, values, and strengths you appear authentic. You feel it, and others sense it. When you live your life, follow your values, and be yourself it’s liberating for you, and inspiring to others.
Great leaders consistently value excellence and strive to achieve it in all they do. In this way, they inspire others to also pursue excellence.
Get started; Knowing your strengths and using them contributes to feeling and being authentic. But let’s assume you’ve done that as part of growing characteristic 1. Identifying and connecting with your values in order to be values-driven can sound complicated, but really it’s as simple as spending a few minutes considering what you care most about in life. Grab some paper and a pen, and record your answer/s.
“In times of crisis the need for leadership comes into sudden, clear focus — and, by the same token, a lack of leadership becomes impossible to miss. Our decisions will not only make or break a company, but have direct and lasting effects on people’s lives.”
3. Big picture perspective
Leaders look at issues from a holistic, big-picture perspective. And great leaders look at issues from a variety of sides in order to come up with the best possible solution.
Put simply, the more perspective the leader gathers, the more fully they see the situation, and the better decisions they can make. And with better decisions, the actions taken are more effective also.
The best leaders ensure they maintain a big picture perspective by not allowing personal emotion to cloud their judgment. They recognise the inevitability of change and approach this with a sense of calm and positivity.
Get started; A simple way to shift your perspective, and therefore increase your ability to see different viewpoints is to shift a habit. Perhaps choose to sit somewhere different when you are working (whether remotely or in the office). You might also like to actively seek different views by reading, watching or listening to sources you wouldn’t normally engage with. These approaches will help expand your perspective (and with it, your understanding of others), which will immediately bring benefits in your life and career, as well as help develop your inner leader.
4. Positive emotion
Positive emotion is a key attribute for great leaders. In fact, the best leaders when assessed, rank highly on positive emotion. With a leader who demonstrates positive emotion, the team and the people around the leader are likely to do better. They achieve more, have greater accuracy, and are more creative, plus have a greater sense of job satisfaction and enthusiasm for their work. In effect, they are happier because the leader demonstrates positive emotions.
Therefore, embracing positive emotions can contribute to being an effective leader.
Get started; Start practicing more positive emotions, such as gratitude and joy. A simple way to do this is with a daily gratitude practice. Journaling prompts can be an easy way to get started if you’re not sure where to begin.
5. Vision and purpose
Leadership is meaningful when it strives to inspire and guide others towards giving their best. Many great leaders have been considered visionaries, inspiring others with their vision and passion. The best leaders share a vision that clearly focuses our attention on what matters most; what we are here to accomplish and how.
Leaders inspire others. It’s not always about motivation, it is often about inspiring others to step into their own leadership.
In this way, the best leaders help others understand why certain actions, tasks, and behaviours matter and how these contribute to the vision they have shared. They show there is a reason for certain actions; there is a purpose. Which then supports those around them to feel clear on their own purpose.
Get started; Identifying your own personal vision can be daunting, but it’s a good place to start. When creating a personal vision, aim for a tone of positivity, future-focus, and action-based. Another area to consider is identifying your purpose. Once you know your purpose, connect with it daily.
6. Take responsibility
Effective leaders take responsibility and ownership. Great leaders know that they are not a product of the circumstances, but a product of their decisions. Leaders have to be willing to be wrong, and acknowledge it, and take responsibility when that happens.
All decisions initiate change, and as leaders, change is cultivated over time when poorer actions are replaced with better ones. It’s more important that leaders make the right decision than it be made quickly.
Get started; Practice taking responsibility where you’ve not previously done so; for your thoughts, actions, words. As part of this, you will need to stop blaming and complaining. Instead, when things don’t turn out the way you’d hoped, practice taking responsibility by asking yourself, “What was my role in this?” In this way, you will be supporting your inner leader and improving how you show up in the world.
7. Great leaders care
Leaders bring warmth, compassion, and ethics into all their decisions. Every person’s greatest need is to feel valued. Great leaders do this! They see, acknowledge, and respect people for who they are. The best leaders trade judgment for compassion and demonstrate that they care through kindness, listening, and compassion for others.
Leaders also care about themselves, using self-compassion in times of pressure and stress, and treating themselves kindly.
Get started; Care enough about yourself to rest when needed, move your body (exercise), eat healthily and well. Also, take time to connect with what restores your energy (be that spending time with others or in solitude) and focus on the big three that research has shown contribute to well-being; gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness.
Leadership is bringing the best of yourself forward. We all need to lead ourselves in the best way possible to create the future we desire, and the world needs.
We are all leaders. Regardless of where we may be in our life right now, we all have the opportunity to develop the leader within.
Leaders know who to ask for support
The best leaders know both when to ask for support, and who to ask. Embracing your everyday development, taking action and acknowledging progress is key! I support people to feel confident in their career and lives, and embracing the leader within is part of this. If you’d like to learn more, book your complimentary consult and we can explore the possibility of working together.
